The Tampa Bay Buccaneers open their first offseason program under new coach Dirk Koetter on Monday, April 11. Here's where things stand with the Bucs with the NFL draft just a few weeks away:
What the Bucs hope Koetter brings: Koetter was the Bucs' offensive coordinator in 2015 and did a good job with Jameis Winston, who became just the third rookie quarterback in NFL history to throw for more than 4,000 yards. Koetter seems to have a knack for getting the best out of his quarterbacks. He helped David Garrard have a career year in Jacksonville, and some of Matt Ryan's better seasons in Atlanta came when Koetter was calling plays. Koetter will continue to call plays, and the expectation is that Winston will continue to develop and cut down on his turnovers.
The biggest question mark about Koetter: Did he learn from his mistakes at Arizona State? Koetter led Boise State to a 26-10 record in three seasons (1998-2000) before departing for ASU. The Sun Devils were 40-34 in Koetter's six seasons, and he was fired after going 2-19 against ranked teams. Koetter's ASU teams won more than eight games in a season just once, and twice finished worse than .500. Koetter has already made one very good decision: He turned the defense over to Mike Smith, who helped build the Jaguars' defense into one of the league's better units during his five-year tenure (2003-07) as their coordinator.
Key additions: The Bucs signed three players in free agency who should have significant impact. Guard J.R. Sweezy will help solidify the interior of a line that lost Logan Mankins to retirement. The Bucs' biggest defensive weaknesses were at defensive end and cornerback, and GM Jason Licht addressed both by signing end Robert Ayers and cornerback Brent Grimes. Don't overlook the signing of linebacker Daryl Smith, who has been one of the most consistent and dependable middle linebackers in the NFL during his 12 seasons. He's 34 years old and might not be an every-down player any longer, but he's an invaluable resource for young linebackers Kwon Alexander and Lavonte David.
Key subtractions: The Bucs didn't have any significant losses via free agency. Even the name players they didn't re-sign -- end Da'Quan Bowers and defensive tackles Tony McDaniel and Henry Melton -- aren't big losses, because they weren't productive. Bowers was the team's second-round pick in 2011 and he was beset by injuries, including a torn Achilles tendon, and had just 7.0 sacks in 53 games (10 starts). The biggest loss of note was head coach Lovie Smith, who was fired in January because of what Licht said was a lack of progress (eight victories, including only three at home, in two seasons).